Stick with your story
Don’t forget anything you said on your video or in your open call. If you change from that “character” or “story”, you’ll be done. They’ll assume you’re a liar, and they don’t have time to deal with filtering through what you’re saying that is true and what you’re saying that is false.

Avoid the “Uhhh”s
Don’t think when answering a question. Just go with your gut and blurt it out. “Umm”s, “ahhh”s, “errr”s, and any other forms of stuttering and bumbling over your words will get you the boot. These people don’t want to spend their summer coaching some mush-mouth in the diary room.

This rule is actually easier than it seems, and people’s major hangup is that they overthink it. If you’re “ummm”ing and stalling a lot, that means you’re thinking. If you’re thinking, you’re censoring yourself. Don’t do that. Just go brain-to-mouth with no filter. As I type that last sentence, I realize that it is probably the most important piece of advice that you can take away from everything I’ve written. So I will say it again. This time in pretty bold type. Just go brain-to-mouth with no filter.

Have an opinion on everything
You don’t have a stance on abortion?…You do now! Indifferent about Jewish people?…no way – you love them!

No matter what the question is that you are asked, never EVER respond with any variation of “I don’t know” or “I don’t care” or “I don’t really follow that”. Part of being an ace in a social game like ‘Big Brother’ is having the ability to converse on some menial level about any given topic.

I don’t follow politics at all. I could care less. But it is an election year, and if I was asked about my views on the election or if I was democrat/republican, the worst thing I could do would be to say “I don’t know – I’m not really paying attention to any of that” (even though that would be the truth). Since I couldn’t talk insightfully about the political race, I may deflect by going off on some rant about the government or how healthcare sucks or how politicians are corrupt bozos or any other semi-related opinion-based diatribe I could ramble on about for a minute or two. As long as I said SOMETHING with some hint of passion.

Remember that it’s not a date or a job interview
Despite what you may think, you’re not trying to impress anyone or sell yourself. There is no reason to dress any nicer than usual or to be more polite than usual. In fact, doing anything “more than usual” is just another nail in the coffin. Do you dress like a homeless person every day? Then show up to your interview like that. Is every other word out of your mouth the f-bomb? Then drop it like it’s going out of style during your interview.

Now, on the flipside, don’t OVER-do it either. So if you DON’T normally wear adult footed pajamas throughout an average day, this would not be the time to show up donning a pair. If you are a virgin, don’t talk about how many broads you’ve hooked up with and how you’re going to be the house playboy.

All-in-all, just be yourself. I think that an applicant’s biggest flaw throughout the casting process is that they overthink it. I remember that being my downfall during several interviews. I think back to how important it was for me to get on the show and how I’d obsess over every possible situation and question that I could be asked. And, without failure, the more I obsessed the worse I did. Both of the seasons that I made it all the way up through to the very end of the casting process, I didn’t sweat a thing. Going into those interviews, I was in the headspace of going to hang out with some close friends over a couple rounds of drinks. Put yourself in that same headspace. Don’t psych yourself out. You are your own biggest obstacle. Just relax and show those hard-bodies that there’s an “average joe” out there like yourself who is ready to steal a half-million dollars from them!